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| Messi, Suarez, Neymar celebrate goal against Celtic |
FC Barcelona began their 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League campaign in style after
they beat Celtic 7-0 in their first game in Group C, thanks to a hat-trick from Lionel Messi, a brace from Luis Suarez and one goal each for Neymar and Andres Iniesta.
The Catalans entered the game with a goal of bouncing back from their weekend shocking league defeat to Alaves at the Camp Nou and they did just that as they destroyed the Scottish Champions comprehensively. Here is how the player’s fared in the game which is the best of the season so far.
BARCELONA 7-0 CELTIC – PLAYER RATINGS
MARC ANDRE TER STEGEN – 7.0
Gave away a penalty in the first half which saw him pick up a yellow card but pulled off outstanding reflex to save the resulting kick. Literally the only thing he did during the game as Barça dominated. Completed all of his passes though, will go back home with his shirt unstained.
SERGI ROBERTO – 7.5
A great performance from the right back who once again showed Aleix Vidal will need to be Superman in order to compete with him. Was composed on the ball and showed great technique in both attack and defence. A strong performance.
GERARD PIQUE – 7.0
Returned to the team once again and as usual, led the defence although he had few things to do defensively as Barça played most of the game in the other half. Great distribution and passing, not a bad game overall.
SAMUEL UMTITI – 7.0
Didn’t quite start well but got into the game and ended up bossing it. His understanding of the style is like one who’s been here for years. Passing was accurate, recovered a lot of balls whilst also strong in the air. He is showing that Mascherano might be in trouble for that Central Back spot.
JORDI ALBA – 7.0
Terrorized Celtic’s right side with lightening attacks despite some poor decisions. Was great defensively. Looked to have improved a not since Digne’s arrival. Should’ve done better with a pass from Messi in the first half despite it being called for offside, one of the many offsides he was called for during the game.
IVAN RAKITIC – 7.0
Played just 45 minutes and didn’t do bad. Made some attacking moves which became limited after he picked up a yellow card. Was precise with his passing and overall, had a far better performance than he did against Alaves.
SERGIO BUSQUETS – 7.5
Returned to his best (or close to it) against Celtic after a rusty performance against Alaves. Controlled the midfield perfectly and didn’t even let Celtic move. His linkups with Messi was a joy to watch and he formed a good duo with Andre Gomes in midfield. A great performance.
ANDRE GOMES – 8.0
A great game for the Portuguese who started ahead of Iniesta and Denis Suarez. Was Barça’s best passer of the night although he wasn’t overly effective in the final third. Still in the process of adaptation and the performance is a very good one. A promising display from the former Valencia man.
LIONEL MESSI – 9.5
Messi dominated the game from the beginning. He gave Barça the lead after just 3 minutes with a powerful striker. He was in the mood, got his second 25 minutes later after linking up with Neymar and then completed his hat-trick in the second half. Also grabbed an assist after setting up Suarez. Passing was superb, his dribbling was perfect, created a lot of chances and Celtic were actually lucky he didn’t get more. Great display.
LUIS SUAREZ – 7.5
Not his best performance overall but he had huge involvements in the game. His movements were great and he worked very hard and was rewarded with a brace at the end. First assisted Messi for his hat-trick before scoring a wonderful left footed shot minutes later and then tapping in his second.
NEYMAR – 10
Easily Man of the Match. His best game in 2016 so far. He didn’t give the Celtic defence a break as he tortured them in beautiful fashion. Scored from a wonderful free kick to make it 3-0 for Barça but that was the least thing he did as he also provided four assists in the game. His dribbling were great and the performance is a plus as it gives a hint that we might just be seeing the best Neymar return. Perfect.
SUBSTITUTES…
ANDRES INIESTA – 8.0
The Captain came on at the interval for Rakitic and showed no mercy to Celtic. Controlled the midfield in a perfect manner but his highlight of the game was his goal, a fantastic volley from Neymar’s cross. Great display.
RAFINHA ALCANTARA – 6.5
Was handed some minutes by Luis Enrique as he replaced Busquets for the last 30 minutes of the match, handing the defensive midfielder some minutes of rest. Made some good attacking moves and had a shot saved, impressive despite the game being done and dusted already.